Published in Scotland Magazine Issue 4 on 9/9/2002.

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The Right Stuff

Thanks to a changeable climate, scotland has long been a world leader in the business of producing clothing fit for any weather, as geraldine coates explains

To say it sometimes rains in Scotland is the understatement of all time. Even in the height of summer one sometimes experiences all four seasons in one day, often in one hour. That’s why visitors and residents alike know that when it comes to any outdoor pursuits – walking, fishing, shooting, riding, even a spot of gentle gardening – it’s essential to have the right kit. Luckily we’re spoiled for choice with a vast range of high quality clothing and equipment designed to keep the elements out. And, in these days of globalisation when sweatshop factories in the Far East produce masses of branded clothing, it’s reassuring to know that many of Scotland’s top names in outdoor clothing and accessories still make their products right here using local labour and traditional standards of craftsmanship.

Take Hunters wellington boots for example. Named after their inventor, the Duke of Wellington, the first wellington boots were designed to accommodate the change in men’s fashion from knee breeches to trousers and were made from leather. In 1856, an enterprising American businessman Henry Lee Norris came to Scotland to establish a factory that would manufacture the new style boots in rubber, the new wonder material of the time. Originally based in Edinburgh the company moved to Dumfries in 1946 where, as the Gates Rubber Company, it continues to make what many consider the best field, fishing, agricultural, industrial and safety footwear in the world.

Over its long history the wellin.....

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By Geraldine Coates

Section : Scottish Clothing

Page number : 28